


Bestowed

by Beckon



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Comic Reference, Demon, Established Relationship, F/M, Gift Giving, Light Angst, Revenant, netherrealm, stolen goods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24275158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckon/pseuds/Beckon
Summary: "I brought you something," Ashrah started, stopping him from his departure, before she held out the trinket she had been gripping tightly in her hands.Her knuckles were aching at this point; she wasn't sure why she had been clinging to the object with so much force.
Relationships: Ashrah/Kung Lao
Kudos: 9





	Bestowed

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a piece from Kung Lao's gear system.

The image of irradiated bones was still fresh in her memory.

The smell of sulfur lingered in her senses; she could still feel the false heat of the fire against her skin.

Quan Chi had ordered Drahmin's death.

For what purpose, Ashrah didn't know- and she didn't ask.

It was always best to keep one's head down in the aftermath of the Warlock's outbursts.

After all, Drahmin had certainly served with a greater purpose than she ever had.

As had Moloch.

And yet, both had been smited without a second of hesitation from Quan Chi.

There was more to the ordeal, more than she would understand, but it wasn't her place to.

_Just keep your head down, stay busy._

_Don't make yourself the next target._

In the smoldering rage that inevitably followed the outburst, the Warlock had thrust upon her the task of clearing out both of Drahmin's and Moloch's lairs- and quickly. And again, Ashrah didn't question it; she didn't object to it. She agreed as quickly as one could and set about the task as soon as the Warlock was out of sight; she didn't want him to see how badly such a demand had shaken her.

There was no sense in questioning why Quan Chi had singled her out amongst the group of witnesses.

Ashrah chose to start with Moloch's lair first.

It was the furthest from the fortress, residing below the mountainside foundation, and a little too close to the lava pits for her liking.

But she knew what to expect from Drahmin's keep- and the thought of having to go through the torturer's personal collections made her skin crawl. She knew she would have to do it regardless, and she would, but that didn't mean she had to like it. If her only sense of control over the situation was in picking which lair to start with than she would use it to her advantage.

It was senseless work going through the former Moloch's lair, going through his possessions and trying to judge what was or wasn't useful in any sense.

There weren't many things of use- nothing that Quan Chi would want to salvage anyways.

Which meant that nothing of it was worth keeping around.

Moloch was an avid collector of things, something Ashrah clearly underestimated with the Oni.

Which only made her work more difficult.

But she had done far more grueling, far more gruesome tasks before.

This was relatively simple in comparison.

The former Oni had an odd collection of tiny ships in glass bottles that Ashrah found intriguing- and she couldn't help but wonder how a lumbering giant like Moloch could have achieved such a feat without breaking the glass. Moloch was immensely strong despite his status, but his strength overpowered his mental capacity, which only made the bottles that more confusing.

There was also the mystery of where the Oni had gotten the resources to make such immaculate crafts.

Ashrah knew Moloch used to wander through Outworld- and still did from time to time.

Perhaps he had foraged the supplies and brought them back here to make his creations.

It was an useless mystery though.

She ended up throwing all of them into the lava pits outside and listened to the glass shattering against the rocks below.

A little bittersweet, but Quan Chi wouldn't want to see them.

Brushing her hands off on her stockings, Ashrah looked over at the collection of hand-carved trinkets that were still situated on makeshift shelves carved out of the rock wall. After tossing most of Moloch's former possessions into the lava, these trinkets were the only things she hadn't gotten to yet; the last remaining creations of the now decapitated body rotting under sulfur clouds.

She made her way over to the shelves and contemplated leaving the objects where they were.

Scavengers would be upon this place by night.

They would strip this place cleaner than she could.

Which Quan Chi had to have known, and yet still forced her to do it.

Just as the thought of leaving the trinkets behind crossed her mind, Ashrah spotted a familiar-looking object amongst the collection- and carefully pulled it down from where it was seated.

The stone was a pale-green and oddly smooth in her hands; it proved itself to be perfectly carved as she turned it around in her fingers, unable to find a sharp edge that might've been overlooked. There was a face that had been sculpted into the palm-sized object, and there was no denying the look of anger that was fixated upon it. There were white tusks that had been carved out of a screaming mouth- something that looked rather remnant of Moloch himself.

A small red fire glowed from inside of the open mouth and from behind the bulging eyes.

Ashrah remembered how Moloch used to carry this particular trinket around with him, seemingly proud of his oddly-detailed creation.

She had caught glimpses of it once or twice, at least until Moloch threatened to crush her between his hands if she continued to stare at it.

He had somehow gotten in his head that she was looking to steal it from him.

As if she would be that stupid to challenge him over a carved stone.

But Moloch wasn't around now to make good on his threat anymore.

Ashrah kept the demonic charm in her hand as she turned to leave.

It had taken most of her day to get Moloch's lair cleared out, and what little had been left behind would be gone by tomorrow. And while she had her doubts that Quan Chi would personally check to see if her work was done, she wouldn't risk leaving behind any more than what she did. The Warlock was a creature of habit, and by this time of night, he never left his studies- and given his outburst earlier, he had probably already locked himself up.

It didn't make him any less feared however.

It just gave her a chance to step away and take care of her other duties for awhile- and let the wildlife finish off what she had started.

And with hope, after picking off what remained of Moloch's things, scavengers would risk getting into Drahmin's lair as well- and give her a leading edge on the awaiting task.

Stepping out of the lair carved from the mountainside, Ashrah extinguished the torch outside- hoping to make it look more appealing to those waiting.

She made her way back to the fortress, climbing back up the stairway that curved around the foundation.

Her body ached from the heavy lifting, from tossing things into the fires.

Her head hurt too.

The impending feeling of fear, of anxiety had been like a weight on her back, tiring her out more than anything physical could. And even now, she still felt the pit of her stomach twisting in on itself; she still felt the pressure on her chest, felt the tight hold it had on her ribs.

Making it to the vast courtyard out front, she headed towards the foreboding fortress.

She wanted to sleep, but she didn't see herself getting much of it tonight.

She would probably end up forgoing it and coming back out here in a few hours in a fit of insomnia.

Ashrah made it partway across the courtyard before stopping as she spotted a familiar figure standing outside as well.

She could recognize Kung Lao's silhouette from anywhere- and the sight of him made her both nervous and relieved.

She wondered if she had kept him waiting for too long.

If he had been expecting her back sooner, expecting her to complete tasks that he too had for her, alongside the ones Quan Chi had.

The thought only made her more nervous.

She made her way over to him, trying to present herself as stoically as she could- trying to push down on the submissive instinct that made her fear him rather than be relieved by him.

But she could pick up on how tense he was.

Ashrah could see the stiffness in his shoulders, the tightness in his arms as Kung Lao kept them crossed in front of him. The energy that illuminated his skin in wired veins fluctuated at a higher frequency when he was stressed- and she could see the patchwork of lights even from a distance.

She watched as his demeanor changed as she drew closer however, as he took note of her return.

And she felt herself relax when he dropped his arms from where they had been crossed. The energy under his skin dissipated almost completely- if only for a few seconds however. But when it returned it was faint and sparse as it normally was.

"Were you waiting long?" Ashrah asked, as she approached him with ease now.

And giving up the tension in her shoulders did well to relieve the tightness in her chest and ribs.

When Kung Lao set his eyes on her, glowing a faint white under the shadow of his hat, Ashrah still felt that familiar chill run down her back.

But that was just a normal reaction for her; a normal reaction to him.

"No," he answered.

He never did have much to say.

"Did you need something then?" she continued, as she stopped next to him now.

She could almost feel the heat coming off of his skin, coming from the energy that was keeping him alive.

Kung Lao wasn't much taller than she was, but he certainly felt like it.

He was far stronger than she was, far more powerful than most of the creatures that naturally occurred here. And it was that evident show of strength that made her feel smaller whenever she was around him.

She could hold her own well enough, but she was nothing compared to him.

His strength was what set him apart from the rest of the Netherrealm, but it only went to remind her that he wasn't from here- and he didn't belong here.

Despite the circumstances of his stay however, she was glad that he was here now.

"I wanted to make sure you made it back," Kung Lao spoke. "You were taking longer than I thought."

"You said you weren't waiting-" Ashrah started before she could catch herself.

She always had a quick mouth and a slow filter. It had always gotten her into trouble with her sisters- and despite their best efforts to teach her self-control, it eventually got her into trouble with Quan Chi. She always figured that was why he tossed her aside, throwing her to Kung Lao to keep.

Quan Chi had remarked that the Executioner would find better ways of controlling her.

But so far, Kung Lao gave very little attention to how she conducted herself- at least around him, anyways.

Still, she wanted to do better for him- lest he decide to change his lax ways with her.

"Moloch was an avid collector of things," Ashrah restated. "There was more than I had anticipated that needed to be tossed out. I still need to take care of Drahmin's things later tonight, but I thought I would check in with you for now and see if there was anything that you needed. I apologize for making you wait for me."

Kung Lao reached out and brushed his fingers against her arm; a gesture made to ease her mind.

And one that he furthered by moving his fingers to cup her chin before he tilted her head up towards him.

The sense of gentleness in his touch, the hint of reassurance was another giveaway that he didn't belong here.

Another reminder that, despite his role as the Warlock's Executioner, despite the aggression and power she had seen him show off, he was nothing like Quan Chi.

He was nothing like anything she had experience of.

Ashrah allowed herself to wonder if Kung Lao had gotten worried about her absence.

Quan Chi's sudden betrayal of Drahmin and Moloch had been a surprise. The two had been loyal to the Warlock for centuries, working under the man's command without hesitation- taking pleasure in whatever tasks were given to them. And yet, one decision had cost the both of them their lives.

And now knowing that the Warlock was capable of turning on anyone in an instant, with little to no reason for such, had everyone on edge now.

When Quan Chi had tossed the task of cleaning onto her, Ashrah had agreed to it quickly. Not just because it was the safest and smartest thing to do, but also to speak over Kung Lao's chance to object. The Revenant was possessive over her; he never turned down the opportunity to fight if he thought someone was getting in her way.

Ashrah didn't know if he would actually go against Quan Chi, but she didn't even want to chance the risk.

She may be under Kung Lao's command now, but they both still served Quan Chi.

And she would do whatever was necessary to keep the both of them on the Warlock's good side.

It was the least that she could do for the Revenant.

Ashrah wondered if Kung Lao had gotten worried that something had happened to her. If he had gotten paranoid at the idea that Quan Chi had visited Moloch's lair to view her progress- and hadn't been pleased with it. Or maybe that was just her projecting. Every hour she had been away from him, she had been afraid that Quan Chi would do something to him.

At any point before now, she wouldn't have entertained the idea that the Warlock would go against the very people he had brought here.

But no one was above Quan Chi's power here, nor his anger.

She had gotten used to living in fear of the Warlock.

But living in fear for someone else was something that was still new to her.

Kung Lao gently shook her by the chin, interrupting her thoughts.

"It's late. We should head back inside before we get visitors out here," he spoke.

Although that hardly seemed like an issue, given that he could easily fend off anyone or anything that might creep up on them.

She felt the absence of his hand as he pulled away and turned to head back into the fortress- gesturing for her to follow after.

"I brought you something," Ashrah started, stopping him from his departure, before she held out the trinket she had been gripping tightly in her hands. Her knuckles were aching at this point; she wasn't sure why she had been clinging to the object with so much force.

Almost immediately, she noticed how he hesitated with the offering.

She noticed the subtle flare of the energy under his skin; it was brief, but it was almost as though he had perceived the object as a temporary threat.

She had to nudge the trinket against his hand, almost pushing it into his palm before he finally took it from her.

"What... is this?" Kung Lao questioned.

Ashrah found herself amused with how he held the carved stone with only his fingertips, turning his hand around to look at it rather than just moving the charm itself. In the hands of a man like him, it looked like nothing more than a smooth rock- and yet, he seemed almost disturbed, if not perplexed by the object.

"It used to be Moloch's favorite, that's all I know," Ashrah offered, as she reached up and used her hands to close his own around the object- much to his visible discomfort it seemed. "You wear that medallion on your waist, I thought you might like this."

Kung Lao didn't respond, not immediately.

He still looked taken aback by the crude, yet carefully designed trinket.

To a man who wasn't from this realm, she couldn't imagine how he was perceiving the object in hand.

For her, it was nothing more than a hand-carved stone with an immaculate design to it.

But to him... it looked as though he was seeing something completely different.

"I... do," Kung Lao finally spoke, although he offered little confidence in his answer.

If anything, he only seemed persuaded to speak because of her insistent gaze and her hands still wrapped around his own.

"Think of it as a gift to remember me by," Ashrah replied, attempting to make the idea of it more acceptable to him. "It'll keep you company during my absence."

"Yes, the thought of a stolen rock suits you greatly."

She felt Kung Lao pull his hand from her hold and half expected him to drop the object to the ground- something that she couldn't have blamed him for. Instead, she watched as he moved to attach the trinket to his belt, allowing it to hang alongside his dragon medallion.

The clash between the two was... obvious.

It was an unfortunate show between his old life and his new one.

But in some ways, it felt fitting to see.

After all, Ashrah knew Kung Lao was only doing it to make her happy- and she wouldn't be surprised if the trinket wasn't there tomorrow.

Or if it couldn't be found at all past tonight.

She felt the brush of his hand against her face once more and felt how he curled his fingers away from her cheek to keep from cutting her with his nails. Her skin tightened under his touch, under the thought that she was probably the only person here who hadn't been cut by them yet. Himself included.

When Kung Lao pulled away from her, Ashrah moved her hands to take his own once more- squeezing it in her hold.

And once more, he turned to head back towards the fortress, to head back inside.

And this time, she followed.


End file.
